Girdle type undergarments with separable leg portions



April 15, 1969 J. B. CONNORS GIRDLE TYPE UNDERGARMENTS WITH SEPARABLE LEG PORTIONS Sheet of 2 INVENTOR BY JJMM Filed Dec. 5. 1966 ATTORNEY April 15, 1969 J. B. CONNORS 3,438,377

GIRDLE TYPE UNDERGARMENTS WITH SEPARABLE LEG PORTIONS Filed Dec. 5, 1966 Sheet Z of 2 INVENTOR J%At/l// rna,u

A 4&4 441m ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,438,377 GIRDLE TYPE UNDERGARMENTS WITH SEPARABLE LEG PORTIONS Joseph B. Connors, 16 Birchwood Park Court, Jericho, NY. 11753 Filed Dec. 5, 1966, Ser. No. 599,292 Int. Cl. A41c 1/00 U.S. Cl. 128-528 Claims This invention relates to undergarments of the girdle or parity-girdle type.

A serious problem for many years has been the constriction and almost tourniquet action on the legs of the panty girdle wearer. In fact, the resulting discomfort is even more directed against the abdomen and stomach so as to adversely affect blood circulation and digestive processes, particularly during and after a meal.

First, in attempting to solve the problem, the industry resorted to front, free, overlapping panels, but this was not a satisfactory solution. A 'better approach was then devised in disposing the overlapping, free panels at the sides or leg portions, but while leg binding discomfort was decreased, adverse effects on the abdomen and stomach were not alleviated.

With the foregoing in mind, I determined that the trouble persisted because the free side panels were not sufficiently extensive and in fact were stitched down in the side area and limited, under the mistaken belief that a too free side panel would unduly sacrifice control of the body portions.

Accordingly, I have devised overlapping, free side panels which extend from adjacent the buttock area, all the way over to adjacent the front center of the undergarment. As a result, the panels are not only substantially floating, but appear floppy and would at first sight be considered ineffective. On the contrary, however, it is found that excellent molding function and control is achieved during standing and walking activities. Then, should the wearer sit down (or should she stoop or squat), the panels release in effect so as to immediate-1y reduce tension and allow the stomach and abdomen to relax while simultaneously freeing the wearer from thigh constriction usually resulting from spreading of the thighs when the wearer sits down. Accordingly, comfort is provided without sacrificing effectiveness of the undergarment.

The above advantages and objects and additional ones, will be further understood from the following description and figures wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of a panty-girdle constructed according to the instant invention;

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a side view thereof as worn, the wearer being standing;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 when the wearer is seated;

FIGURE 5 is a substantially cross-sectional view as taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a substantially cross-sectional view as taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a front elevational view of a modified embodiment, i.e. a girdle; and

FIGURE 8 is a rear elevational view of the modified embodiment.

Referring to FIGURES 16, the main body of the panty-girdle comprises a left side panel section A, and a right side panel section B. Considering first panel section A, it extends from inclined seam 10, down to leg front bottom edge 11, and thence inclines upwardly at the rear edge 12, up to the rear of crotch 13 to which it is connected. Buttock panel 14 is connected to panel A along arcuate seam 14a. and may be considered a rear portion "ice thereof. All the panels are of universal, all-way stretch elastic fabric as is commonly used in these undergarments.

Panel section B is essentially a duplicate of section A. Section B extends from inclined seam 15, down to leg from bottom edge 16, and thence extends upwardly at the rear edge 17, up to the rear of crotch 13 to which it is connected. Buttock panel 18- is a duplicate of buttock panel 14 and is connected to section B along arcuate seam 18a, of which it may also be considered a part.

Thus, panel sections A and B jointly form a tubular torso section with front leg portions which extend down to the bottom edge of the garment, but with rear leg portions which are foreshortened, extending diagonally upward along lines 12 and 17 respectively to the crotch 13 as seen in FIGURE 3. Further, the overlapping, inclined seams 10 and'15 form extra reinforcement by virtue of the additional mutually unconnected layers at the front between these seams, but this aspect is not essential to this invention.

While front bottom edges 11 and 16 appear slightly slanted in FIGURE 7, they are essentially horizontal when the garment is worn and may be considered substantially horizontal in contrast with rear edges 12 and 17 which extend upwardly toward the crotch.

Sections A and B provide incomplete leg or lower portions in their incorporation of the rear inclined edges 12 and 17. Accordingly, I provide auxiliary side panel sections 20 and 21 which co-act respectively with sections A and B to complete the leg portions.

Considering first side panel section 20, it is sewn along lower inside edge 22 of section A, and along rear crotch seam 23, as illustrated in FIGURE 2. Then side section 20 is sewn along the full extent of arcuate seam 14a, up to the top edge of the garment. Thus side section 20 provides a rear leg portion 20a which effectively complements the front leg portion of section A, to form therewith a substantially tubular leg or lower portion for encircling the leg.

Now, side section 20 is itself foreshortened at the anterior face thereof, rising upwardly along edge 25, to central point 26 and upwardly along front center line 27, to which it is connected. However, the bottom edge of rear leg portion 20a is substantiaily horizontal to complement lower edge 11 of section A.

The net result of the above structure is to provide a complete leg or lower portion formed jointly by panel sections A and 20, together with two rising, inclined edges 12 and 25, all of which are largely unconnected to each other as will hereinafter be further explained, and which makes possible the marked advantages of the garment.

Section B together with side section 21a jointly provide a complete leg or lower portion for the opposite half of the garment, duplicating precisely the first described half, the inside inclined edge 25a being essentially free as is inside inclined edge 25.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, the wearer is standing, the jointly formed leg portion snugly encasing the thigh and firm pressure being exerted against the abdomen for effective mOlding and control of the thigh, buttock, and abdominal areas. FIGURE 5 shows the circular cross-section of the jointly formed leg portion, such showing being largely diagrammatic.

On the other hand, when the wearer is seated, the thigh tends to flatten out as will be obvious. At this time, the jointly formed leg portion separates because sections A and 20 are essentially free of each other so as to permit such separation, the same action occurring with sections B and 21 on its other side. FIGURE 6 shows how the substantially circular cross-section of the jointly formed leg portion becomes relatively flattened.

It is also important to recognize that when the wearer is seated, her thigh approaches her abdomen. This of course tends to loosen the grip of the garment upon the wearers body. However, this tendency would be largely futile if the construction of the garment did not permit it to adapt itself to the altered body dimensions. My garment, by effectively disassociating the leg portion panel sections from each other, makes possible the loosening of the garment on the wearers body when she is seated. This result is possible because the outside inclined edges 12 and 17 as well as the inside inclined edges 25 and 25a are free along their entire lengths and can therefore separate freely.

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate the invention as applied to a girdle without elongated or bifurcated leg portions. Thus inside, upwardly extending inclined edges 30 and 30a are duplicates of abovementioned edges 25 and 25a. Edge 30 communicates with side section lower edge 31 to form, jointly with front lower edge 11a, a thigh embracing or grasping portion equivalent to the panel sections A and 20 of FIGURE 1, while inclined edges 30 and 12a form the free, upwardly extending inclined edges thereof. In this embodiment there is, of course, no crotch. Rear inclined edge 17:: is equivalent to edge 17 in FIGURE 2, while front lower edge 16a has its counterpart in edge 16 of FIGURE 1.

Essentially the embodiment of FIGURES 7 and 8 functions like the embodiment of FIGURES 16 with the body of the garment being about two inches shorter and being wholly tubular instead of bifurcated.

In either embodiment, the complete freedom of the side panel sections 20 and 21 from their co-acting panel sections A and B, has other marked advantages. For example, when the panel sections do not pull upon one another, they tend to prevent undesired riding up of the sections on the wearers body. Indeed the entire garment remains well anchored in place whether the wearer is walking, standing or sitting. Further the free panel sections snugly support the buttocks, somewhat in the nature of a bucket seat or sling for each buttock, or in the nature of a hammock which is anchored at its ends and otherwise is free.

Of course, as above described, panel sections B and 21 on one side of the undergarment, that is, the right side of the undergarment as shown in FIGURE 1, are duplicates or reflections of panel sections A and 20 on the other side.

As observed in FIGURE 3, front bottom edge 11 is substantially horizontal when the garment is worn and it is the lowermost edge of the garment. The bottom edge of rear leg portion 20a is also lowermost, and these lowermost edges, together with the inclined edges 12 and 25, jointly encircle the thigh of the wearer, the same encircling action occurring at the other leg of course. Firm anchoring action takes place at the thighs, which is released when the wearer sits or squats. Inclined edges 12, 17, 25 and 25a, all rise from a lowermost edge corner up at least the crotch of the garment.

I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, but it is obvious that numerous changes and omissions may be made without departing from its spirit.

What is claimed is:

1. An undergarment comprising a first panel section on one side of the undergarment extending from the front area of the undergarment around to the back area thereof and having a substantially horizontal bottom edge at said one side which forms the bottom edge of the undergarment at said one side, said first panel having an inclined edge at its other side which extends upwardly to the center area of the undergarment, and a second panel section on said one side of the undergarment, said second panel section likewise extending from the front area of the undergarment around to the back area thereof, said second panel section having a substantially horizontal bottom edge at one side thereof which complements the said first panel section horizontal bottom edge whereby a thigh portion of the wearer may be jointly grasped thereby, said second panel having an inclined edge at its other side which extends upwardly to the center area of the undergarment, and duplicate panel sections on the other side of the undergarment which are reflections of said first and second panel sections, each of said panel sections being sewn at their ends to respectively front and back areas of the undergarment and both of said panel sections being otherwise free of each other.

2. An undergarment according to claim 1 and including a crotch, said first panel section having a leg portion of which its said substantially horizontal bottom edge is the lowermost edge thereof, said second panel section having a leg portion of which its said substantially horizontal bottom edge is the lowermost edge thereof, both of said lowermost edges, together with said inclined edges, jointly encircling a thigh portion of a leg below said crotch when worn, and said duplicate panel sections encircling a thigh portion of the other leg of the wearer.

3. An undergarment according to claim 2 and wherein all of said inclined edges extend freely from a lowermost edge corner portion up to at least said crotch at a center line of said garment. v

4. An undergarment according to claim 3 and wherein said substantial-1y horizontal bottom edge of said first panel section is at the lowermost right front side of the undergarment, and said substantially horizontal bottom edge of said second panel section being complementary therewith and disposed at the lowermost right rear side of the undergarment.

5. An undergarment according to claim 4 and wherein said first panel section on one side of the undergarment, together with its duplicate panel section on the other side of the undergarment, jointly form a tubular torso section with front leg portions which extend down to the lowermost edge of the undergarment, and said inclined edge of said first panel section, as well as the inclined edge of its duplicate panel section on the other side of the undergarment, substantially begins at an outside corner at the rear of the undergarment and extends upwardly to the crotch.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,661,002 12/1953 Silverman 128526 2,989,054 6/1961 Grishman l28546 3,011,496 12/1961 Cousins l28544 3,196,879 7/1965 Leese 128528 3,280,819 10/1966 Weeks l28525 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 

1. AN UNDERGARMENT COMPRISING A FIRST PANEL SECTION ON ONE SIDE OF THE UNDERGARMENT EXTENDING FROM THE FRONT AREA OF THE UNDERGARMENT AROUND TO THE BACK AREA THEREOF AND HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL BOTTOM EDGE AT SAID ONE SIDE WHICH FORMS THE BOTTOM EDGE OF THE UNDERGARMENT AT SAID ONE SIDE, SAID FIRST PANEL HAVING AN INCLINED EDGE AT ITS OTHER SIDE WHICH EXTENDS UPWARDLY TO THE CENTER AREA OF THE UNDERGARMENT, AND A SECOND PANEL SECTION ON SAID ONE SIDE OF THE UNDERGARMENT, SAID SECOND PANEL SECTION LIKEWISE EXTENDING FROM THE FRONT AREA OF THE UNDERGARMENT AROUND TO THE BACK AREA THEREOF, SAID SECOND PANEL SECTION HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL BOTTOM EDGE AT ONE SIDE THEREOF WHICH COMPLEMENTS THE SAID FIRST PANEL SECTION HORIZONTAL BOTTOM EDGE WHEREBY A THIGH PORTION OF THE WEARER MAY BE JOINTLY GRASPED THEREBY, SAID SECOND PANEL HAVING AN INCLINED EDGE AT ITS OTHER SIDE WHICH EXTENDS UPWARDLY TO THE CENTER AREA OF THE UNDERGARMENT, AND DUPLICATE PANEL SECTIONS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE UNDERGARMENT WHICH ARE REFLECTIONS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND PANEL SECTIONS, EACH OF SAID PANEL SECTIONS BEING SEWN AT THEIR ENDS TO RESPECTIVELY FRONT AND BACK AREAS OF THE UNDERGARMENT AND BOTH OF SAID PANEL SECITIONS BEING OTHERWISE FREE OF EACH OTHER. 